tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5502671101756463249.post2474869339972965824..comments2024-03-23T12:38:46.260+00:00Comments on The History Girls: On Truth in Historical Fiction by Gillian PolackMary Hoffmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06241989732624913706noreply@blogger.comBlogger6125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5502671101756463249.post-76628807353696628552016-03-02T22:48:08.465+00:002016-03-02T22:48:08.465+00:00Becky, me too. I punctuate my reading with checks ...Becky, me too. I punctuate my reading with checks and spot research and I'm pleased as punch when I gain new insights and understanding. What makes me happy beyond almost anything is when I learn something deeper from the novel and I get to see the world with different eyes.Gillian Polackhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07113321985223288302noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5502671101756463249.post-18481543378450277972016-03-02T22:41:18.297+00:002016-03-02T22:41:18.297+00:00I think you are right, but then again that is kind...I think you are right, but then again that is kind of why I read these novels. I like to think I know a lot of the legit history so the fiction needs to fit just right. But I have found a few things that I didn't know and that to me is a good thing. For instance my current read by K. Willow called Ice Whispers. It's set in the south during slavery and I find myself going to my history books because I didn't know about the things that were happening. It's like studying, I guess I am one of those people that loves to learn all the time. So if someone is trying to tell a truth whether it be theirs or something more actual, I am going to study to find out.Becky Ghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08323991564190303494noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5502671101756463249.post-29357704578444609482016-03-02T21:39:00.063+00:002016-03-02T21:39:00.063+00:00The biggest drawback with the Minchin song is that...The biggest drawback with the Minchin song is that I can't get it out of my head!Gillian Polackhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07113321985223288302noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5502671101756463249.post-91500242353257777592016-03-02T13:55:10.472+00:002016-03-02T13:55:10.472+00:00A very moving blog - thank you. And that song from...A very moving blog - thank you. And that song from Minchin is brilliant!Susan Pricehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07738737493756183909noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5502671101756463249.post-20468054987700663222016-03-02T12:26:51.767+00:002016-03-02T12:26:51.767+00:00I so remember the Apollo landing. I cursed my shor...I so remember the Apollo landing. I cursed my shortness of vision, for at that second I wanted to be an astronaut.Gillian Polackhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07113321985223288302noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5502671101756463249.post-60107339986613210112016-03-02T10:23:11.574+00:002016-03-02T10:23:11.574+00:00When I was first asked to write historical fiction...When I was first asked to write historical fiction, in the form of a short story for a YA anthology, I wanted personal history too. My story was set on the day the Apollo 11 astronauts walked the moon. It was a joyous event and one I remembered, although my story ended up being about a boy who had missed watching it. The second story I wrote was set even earlier, but still in my lifetime, during the Beatles' visit to Melbourne. I could still speak to people who were old enough to remember both events properly. My brother in law was one of those fans who stood outside the hotel when the Beatles arrived. A friend and workmate remembered attending a protest rally outside the U.S. consulate I'd mentioned in my first story. I did my research in the newspapers of the time, read letters to the editor, checked what was on TV and at the movies at the time, what was being advertised... Even though I'd been there, as a child, it was like reading about a different world. <br /><br />But my most recent piece of historical fiction was set in the 1860s, since I was gently asked to do something with bushrangers in it. I felt much more distanced from this period. I enjoyed doing it, but it wasn't quite the same. Sue Bursztynskihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09362273418897882971noreply@blogger.com